SOUNDS AROUND TOWN: What entertainers told us in 2018

By Ed Symkus, Correspondent

Thursday

Dec 27, 2018 at 5:30 PMDec 27, 2018 at 5:30 PM

Another year winds down, another 52 interviews with musicians made their appearances in this column. Subjects ranged from pop culture icons (Herb Alpert) to homegrown rockers (Juliana Hatfield) to artists who have followed – then gone off on a different path – in their family’s footsteps (Joaquim Cooder). They spoke about jazz and rock and folk and everything in between, and everyone had something interesting to say. After looking back over 2018’s interviews, a few highlights, or Top-10 quotes, were pulled from them. They’re in alphabetical order.

HERB ALPERT (trumpeter and leader of the Tijuana Brass) on his music being used on the TV show “The Dating Game”:

“It was just luck. The producers of the show heard the records, and it was their choice. They had to get permission to do it, but I didn’t push it. It was a phone call from the producers to the publishing company. That eventually sold a lot of records, but what sold more records was when I did ‘Rise’ in 1979, and it was used when Luke and Laura had an affair on ‘General Hospital.’ That just catapulted the sales of that song.”

PETER ASHER (producer and half of the ’60s duo Peter & Gordon) on whether any of the artists he’s produced would have done well on today’s music competition TV shows:

“I think Linda Ronstadt would have. It would be difficult because she doesn’t dance or do anything other than just sing brilliantly. But I think her singing is so exceptional, that if she stood up and sang a song, she’d win any competition going on that particular day.”

BRIAN CALHOON (vocalist and marimbist in Marimba Cabaret) on the challenge of bringing his 8 1/2-foot-long marimba on the road:

“Fortunately, it comes apart. It breaks down into eight cases. It fits into my Subaru Forester with the seats pushed all the way up. My one regret about the marimba is that I resent flute players, who can just walk out after a show and they’re gone within 90 seconds. Meanwhile, we start the 20-minute breakdown and have to load it in the car and then unload it at the house. It’s an effort, but it’s totally worth it.”

JOAQUIM COODER (singer-songwriter-percussionist; son of Ry Cooder), on listening to music as a kid:

“My dad gave me records when I was really young. He gave me the Band’s ‘Music From Big Pink,’ which sort of set me on a path. James Brown was also a huge thing. As far as pop music, the first CD I was given was the Bangles. And to this day, that first Bangles record is still unbelievable. It’s just one hit after another.”

JOHN GORKA (singer-songwriter), on the meaning of his last name:

“In Polish, it means small hill.”

JULIANA HATFIELD (pop rocker whose most recent album was “Juliana Hatfield Sings Olivia Newton-John”) on being a longtime Olivia fan:

“I was listening to her when I was growing up in Duxbury. But back then the other side of me was listening to bands like the Replacements and X. My friends did not know this music; they thought it was weird. They understood Olivia Newton-John and Billy Squire and AC/DC. But they didn’t get the slightly weirder stuff. She was very mainstream, so everyone got it. I’m a very loyal person. I really stick with people. Olivia is someone I keep going back to because her music still has the power to make me feel good.”

CHRISTINE LAVIN (singer-songwriter) on what she was doing musically before playing guitar:

“I was 6 years old, taking piano lessons, and I had a teacher who would crack my knuckles if I played wrong. I would come home crying, with my knuckles all pink from being swatted at, and I begged my parents to let me quit piano lessons because she was such a mean teacher. But I learned guitar by watching guitar lessons on public television when I was 12.”

“When I got it, the chairman asked me, ‘How did you learn how to play jazz piano?’ I said, ‘Well, I took a couple of jazz lessons in high school, and I started practicing voicings and scales.’ He said, ‘No, how did you learn how to play jazz piano?’ I said, ‘Well, I would practice, I tried to learn these chords and different keys.’ He said, ‘No, how did you learn how to play?’ I said, ‘Actually, I just f**ked around.’ He said, ‘EXACTLY! That’s how we all learn to play. Just f**king around. Playing along with the record. Figuring sh*t out.”

LENNY SOLOMON (singer-songwriter) on first performing music:

“My family was musical. Several of my uncles played instruments, my mother sang, my sister sang. We used to sing three-part harmonies together. My first instrument was a violin. I was in the sixth grade. At that time the school system tested students for musical ability. I passed the test and they asked if I’d like to be in orchestra in the seventh grade. I said yeah. They asked what instrument I wanted and I said clarinet. I always wanted to play jazz clarinet. But when I got to the seventh grade, they assigned me to violin because they didn’t have enough violin players.”